Postall easy install posts and fences

ABSTRACT

A post and fencing system to avoid pre-digging large holes and the use of concrete, using round cross section based posts, tapering from a small diameter section above the lowest end, which is cutter shaped, to where the post extends above the ground, and having screw threads covering the tapered section and increasing in overall diameter and thread thickness from the bottom upward, to give the receiving material around the Postall post maximum compaction and grip in the receiving material and thus give the post greatest resistance to movement, and with such posts having above-ground segments with various cross sections, such as round, square, hexagonal and the like, depending upon the needs of utility and decor, upon which can be attached appropriate fittings to hold in place fence rails, slats, wire, poles and other common fencing materials.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to posts to be easily installed into various receiving materials such as dirt, sand, clay, loam and muddy bottoms of bodies of water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently a number of types of posts are installed in earth, sand and other receiving materials, usually by first digging a large hole, setting in and bracing the post and pouring cement or concrete around the post. Once the cement or concrete has set, the bracing is removed, all of which is time consuming. Cement and concrete often leach into surrounding soil and affect plant life.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is a main object of this invention to provide an easy to install post and fencing system using materials that minimally affect plant life.

It is another object of this invention to provide a post and fencing system which can be installed without pre-digging large holes or the use of cement or concrete.

It is an added object of this invention to provide one or more types of plain or ornate fencing systems which can be quickly installed using simple hand tools and or powered equipment.

It is yet an additional object of this invention to provide a post installation that breaks up a minimum amount of receiving material and increasingly compacts the receiving material as posts are installed, to finish with posts resting in hard, firmly packed receiving material.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a post installation that finishes in solidly compacted receiving material which has been subjected to a minimum of disturbance.

It is even an added object of this invention to provide a finished post installation with maximum contact, especially at or near ground level, between a post and a receiving material.

OPERATING PRINCIPALS

Postall system parts are molded, machined and or cast of plastic, metal, composite materials and or wood and the system is initiated by having a cutter shaped end as the lowest section of a post, to cut away receiving material as the post is rotated. Postall posts have screw threads beginning at the diameter of the top of the cutter shaped lowest end and increasing in diameter and thickness as the threads rise up the tapered lower hull portion to ground level, with a straight, tapered or shaped above-ground portion of round, square, fluted or otherwise decorated cross section. The post is rotated manually or by machine using simple tools, whereby the post cuts and screws itself into a receiving material such as dirt, sand, gravel and mud. With an increasing diameter lower hull portion, increasing diameter and thickening screw threads on the lower hull portion, immediately above the cutter shaped lowest end section, increasingly compacting the receiving material and securing a tight fit, a greatly increased resistance to movement by a finished post is achieved in a well compacted receiving material. It is important to note that evenly spaced, increasing in diameter and thickening screw threads follow along the same track made by the initial thread through the receiving material without breaking up that material, but further compacting it.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the Postall invention is a round post having screw threads extending around its tapered lower hull section, from a small diameter, just above its lowest section, which is cutter shaped, upward and outward to where the post will extend above the ground, with the outside diameter of the threads and the thread thickness also increasing from the lower cutter shaped section to where the above ground section of the post begins, to cause maximum compaction of the receiving material around the post for maximum grip of the post, to give the post greatest resistance to movement. Many above-ground cross sections, such as round, square, fluted and hexagonal are used, depending upon the needs of utility and appearance. A number of fittings are also devised, which when attached to the above ground portion of the posts, provide attachment for wire and or various types of cross rails, vertical panels and fencing slats.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Postall installation showing round lower section posts screwed into a receiving material, with ground level, 105, being the transition point from a round, tapered in-ground hull, with threads, to a square cross section above ground post, 100, having attachment means, 101, whereby rectangular section cross rails, 103, are attached to posts, to which are attached fence slats, 106, and with decorative square section post caps, 102, installed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical Postall fencing installation where a round lower section with screw threads, 110, is screwed down between and not damaging tree roots, 112, and with cross rails, 108, attached to the above-ground posts, 111, by way of angularly adjustable attachment hardware, 109. Note that one post, 104, is installed into bottom mud, 116, in a pond, 114, and has an upward extension, 115, to provide a horizon-level appearance of the cross rails, with post caps, 107. The upper end of the screw threads, 113, are also shown at ground level.

FIG. 3 shows an above ground-level square cross section Postall post.

FIG. 4 shows an above ground-level round cross section of a Postall post.

FIG. 5 shows an above ground-level octagonal cross section of a Postall post.

FIG. 6 shows an above ground-level hexagonal cross section of a Postall post.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a long lead screw thread Postall post, showing ground level, 117, as the upper end of a tapered hull, 120, with increasing diameter and increasing thickness screw thread, 118, ending at ground level, and a lower, smaller, screw thread, 119, and a cutter shaped end section, 130, as the lowest end of a post for use in a firm receiving material.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a medium lead screw thread Postall post, showing ground level, 117, as the upper end of a tapered hull, 120, with increasing diameter and increasing thickness screw thread, 121, ending at ground level, a lower smaller screw thread, 122, and a cutter shaped end section, 130 as the lowest end of a post for use in a medium density receiving material.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a double lead screw thread Postall post, showing ground level, 117, as the upper end of a tapered hull, 120, and two tapered screw threads, 123, ending at ground level, two lower smaller screw threads, 124, further down the lower hull, and a cutter shaped end section, 130, as the lowest end of a post for use in a looser, sandier receiving material.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a typical post cap for a square cross section Postall post.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a typical post cap for a round cross section Postall post.

FIG. 12 is a cutaway side view of an angularly adjustable attachment device having a semi-spherical housing, 127, the inside front to back dimension of which is slightly less than the spherical diameter of a mating spherical end, 128, with a rail support shaft, 129, held in place by pressure exerted through hardware, 125, when holding the spherical housing against a post, 126.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a Postall rail attachment plate, 134, having an open center section, 133, with arched loops formed at each end, 131, to receive a rail attachment member as shown in FIG. 16, and hardware holes, 132, to affix the attachment plate to a flat sided post.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a square spacer-adaptor, having a center bore hole, 137, made to fit the shaft, 129, of the rail support shown in FIG. 12, a square body section, 140, and an end stop, 141.

FIG. 15 is a cutaway side view of round spacer-adaptor, having a center bore hole, 137, made to fit the shaft, 129, of the rail support shown in FIG. 12, with an exterior diameter, 138, sized to fit regular plastic pipe and a larger diameter section, 139, to act as an end stop.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a rail attachment member made to fit inside of the part shown in FIG. 13, having a rail insert section, 136, able to pivot left and right, with its top and bottom bosses, 135, held against a flat sided post to which the rail attachment plate in FIG. 13 is attached by hardware placed through the holes, 132, in FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 is a cross section view of a rail attachment, with a rail support shaft, 129, a round, square or rectangular spacer-adaptor, 138, on the rail support shaft, 129, a spherical housing, 127, and a spherical end, 128, with attachment hardware, 125, fastening the assembly to a post, 126.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the parts shown in FIGS. 13 and 16, assembled, with top and bottom bosses, 135, a rail attachment plate, 134, and a typical rectangular cross section rail, 144, placed over a rail insert member, 136.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a Postall rail attachment assembly showing a round post attachment plate, 142, with a spherical housing, 127, a spherical end, 128, and a round spacer-adaptor, 138, over a rail support shaft, 129, and a round cross section rail, 143, made to internal and external diameters of common metal and or plastic pipe.

FIG. 20 is a view of the lower end of a Postall post showing a screw thread, 146, ending just above a cutter shaped end section with side cutting edges, 147, and bottom cutting edge, 145.

FIG. 21 is a view of a four bar tool having four wooden handles, 153, held together with common wood screws, 154, forming a square the size of a square cross section Postall post for installing typical square cross-section Postall posts.

FIG. 22 is a view looking up towards the bottom of a cutter shaped end section of a typical Postall post, showing two side cutting edges, 147, and one bottom cutting edge, 145.

FIG. 23 is a view of a single handle, 148, and belt, 151, tool, assembled with hardware, 149, made to fit around a typical Postall post, 152, shown here as round. Note that this device can be used to install a number of sizes and cross section shapes of Postall posts, as it grips more tightly when the belt, 151, is wrapped around a post and the handle is used to rotate the post clockwise in this view.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a mechanism added to a typical back-hoe tractor type vehicle, whereby a hydraulic motor, 162, rotates a socket wrench, 163, placed over a square section post, not shown, which is held loosely by holding adaptors, 165, fitted onto a set of tines, 164, on a common barrel-drum rotator. Note that the socket wrench, 163, can be replaced by a handle and belt device, such as that shown in FIG. 23, for power installation of most Postall posts.

FIG. 25 is a view of a manual installation of a Postall post, 157, where a man is shown using two handle and belt devices, 158, such as shown in FIG. 23, to rotate and screw a post into a receiving material, 159, by having a cutter shaped end section, 161, cut into and break up the receiving material allowing screw threads, 156, to follow.

FIG. 26 is a view of a back-hoe tractor vehicle, 166, using the attachment mechanism shown in FIG. 24, with a hydraulic motor, 162, a socket wrench, 163, ground level, 168, a threaded section on the tapered hull, 169, of a post, and a lower cutter shaped end section, 161. Such small, simple powered equipment is used to rapidly install Postall posts. 

1. A post having its lower hull tapering upward and outward from a bottom point to where the post will be at or near ground level and having threads around the length of its lower hull section and having an above-ground unthreaded section.
 2. A post as in claim 1, having a cutter shaped section at its lowest end.
 3. A post as in claim 1, having threads which increase in overall diameter from the lowest to highest point on its tapered lower hull section.
 4. A post as in claim 1, having threads increasing in thickness as the overall diameter of the threads increase.
 5. A post to rail attachment comprised of a plate having a hollow incomplete spherical shaped segment into which is fitted a sphere having a protrusion onto which a rail is attached.
 6. A post to rail attachment comprised of a plate having one or more looped arches into which one or more bosses are fitted onto which a rail is attached. 